Thekchen Chöling, Dharamsala, HP, India, 17 January 2016 - In a letter to Ms Tsai Ing-wen, President-Elect of Taiwan, His Holiness the Dalai Lama congratulated her on her remarkable victory in the Presidential election. He wrote:
“It is indeed encouraging to see how firmly rooted democracy has become in Taiwan. It is a model and source of inspiration to those who aspire for freedom and accountable leadership. As someone dedicated to promoting democracy, I salute what the people of Taiwan have accomplished.”
He added that during his visits to Taiwan, including that in 2009 when he met Ms Tsai Ing-wen, he was able to see for himself the progress the people of Taiwan have made in the fields of economics and education. Noting that business and trade are areas in which successful links have been established with mainland China, he wrote:
“It is important that such links should grow and be extended to include increased people to people exchanges.”
He ended by wishing Ms Tsai Ing-wen every success in meeting the many challenges ahead.
